{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T15:44:05Z","timestamp":1769615045577,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Pasifika Medical Association Group","issue":"1628","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["NZMJ"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND), is a neurodegenerative condition with\ntypically short life expectancy. Riluzole, the only survival-prolonging medication funded in Aotearoa New Zealand, has high uptake in\nother developed countries.\naims: To quantify riluzole use in New Zealand, identify factors associated with its use and explore reasons for non-use.\nmethods: In 2025, people in New Zealand diagnosed with MND were invited to self-complete questionnaires. Data were collected via\nQualtrics, exported to Excel and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Respondents with progressive muscular atrophy\nor primary lateral sclerosis diagnoses were excluded from this analysis.\nresults: Of 115 respondents, 55 (48%) were currently taking riluzole, 14 (12%) had taken it previously and 42 (36%) had never taken it.\nCommon reasons for non-use included riluzole not being offered and concerns about lack of effectiveness and\/or side effects. Uptake\nwas lower with bulbar onset than limb onset (p&lt;0.05).\nconclusions: People with ALS in New Zealand have low uptake of riluzole, despite its survival benefits. Prescribers and people with\nALS need up-to-date information about riluzole\u2019s benefit-risk profile to increase uptake and confidence in prescription and use. Liquid\nriluzole is needed in New Zealand to aid uptake.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.26635\/6965.7238","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T01:16:33Z","timestamp":1769562993000},"page":"50-57","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Riluzole use and reasons for non-use in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Aotearoa New Zealand"],"prefix":"10.26635","volume":"139","author":[{"given":"Natalie","family":"Gauld","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"James","family":"Cleland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Buchanan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joanna","family":"Hikaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chris","family":"Frampton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Buetow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"11177","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"container-title":["New Zealand Medical Journal"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T01:16:34Z","timestamp":1769562994000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/nzmj.org.nz\/journal\/vol-139-no-1628\/riluzole-use-and-reasons-for-non-use-in-people-with-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-in-aotearoa-new-zealand"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1628","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.26635\/6965.7238","relation":{},"ISSN":["1175-8716"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1175-8716","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]}}}